Kamal asks govt to stop ‘stabbing people in name of difficult decisions’

Pak Sarzameen Party Chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal on Friday criticised the federal government for the sharp rise of Rs98 in the prices of petroleum products in the last two months and termed it a conspiracy to eradicate the poor rather than poverty.

“The government should stop stabbing the people in the name of difficult decisions. PSP rejects the unprecedented rise in prices of petroleum products and calls on the government to reconsider its decision,” he said while addressing a meeting of local bodies candidates of District Korangi at the party’s office.

Kamal said the salaried class had been the worst segment hit by the rise in the prices of petroleum products because salaries had not been increased, while the commodity prices had gone up by several hundred per cent, leaving parents with no option but to stop their children from going to school.

“The poor and the middle classes are now afraid of even getting sick due to the financial crisis. If the rulers could only stop daily corruption in the health and education sectors, the situation would improve. Due to the failed economic policies of the previous and current incompetent rulers, the change has turned into a catastrophe,” he said.

“Bread, clothes and shelter had already been taken away from the people, but now those who chant the slogan of ‘vote ko izzat do’ have made their voters’ lives miserable and have left their voters with no option but to commit suicide,” he said. “Not only the poor and middle classes but also the business and industrial segment are suffering tremendously from severe mental and economic stress. Inflation has made it difficult to meet business expenses.”

Kamal maintained that it had become difficult for the working class to get enough food twice a day, and ever since the government came to power, there had been daily reports of rising prices of petroleum products and of rising electricity and gas prices. “If the whole burden was to be shifted onto the people, then what was the need to come to power by beating the drum of inflation?”